Automatic safety-valve for water-gages.



Wi H. BRAY.

AUTOMATIC SAFETY VALVE FOB. WATER GAGES.

APPLICATION FILED DBO. 13, 1909.

' THE NuRRls PETERS CDA, wAsHuvGmN, D, c,

'narran sra r v WILLIAM H. BRAY, OF MANCHESTER, NEW HAMPSHIRE, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF 'D HAT'IIE L. HEALEY, (NOW BY MARRIAGE HATTIE L. FELCIL) OF MANCHESTEIE NEW HAMPSHIRE.

AUTOMATIC SAFETY-VALVE FOR WATER-GAGES.

Application tiled December 13, 1909.

To all whom it may concern:

Bc it known that I, IVILLIAM H. BRAY, of Manchester, in the county of Hillsboro and State of New Hampshire, a citizen of the United States, have invented a new and useiul Improvement in Automatic Safety- Valves for Tater-Gages, of which the following is a specification.

The purpose of such automat-ic safety valves is to close immediately upon the breaking ot' a water gage in order to prevent the issue .trom the boiler of hot water or steam to the injury of the engineer. So far as I know,r in no case has there ever been constructed what I would term a duplex valve.r that is7 two valves working together for this purpose so that it one valve tails to work by any accident the other valve will surely close. Such a valve I have shown in the drawings applied to a water gage, it being understood that in practice two of these valves will be used, one being located at the upper end ot the water gage and one at the lower. The valve in the drawings is shown as located at the lower end of the water gage.

In the drawings where the preferred form or my invention is shown-Figure l is a view partly in elevation and partly in section, the section including the new valve in its open position. Fig. 2 is a section on line 2 2 of Fig. l, the valve in this case however heilig closed.

A is a casting containing a chamber o which is connected to the boiler by a passage at. This casting also serves to support the base a? ot the water gage a3 and contains a passage connecting the chamber o with the interior of the water gage as is usual with such valves.

a* is one of the rods by which the water gage is clamped in place. The end of the casting A is threaded as at i l aud screwed into a coupling B which is screwed into an opening in the boiler plate D1. The passage continues through the coupling B as at b and is enlarged to form a valve seat 1 for the valve C. It also comprises a tubular extension B2 within which the valve mechanism operates, the outer end of this extension flaring as at b2 to form a seat for the secondary valve D. It also has a flange Zr* to assist in confining the movement-s of the valveD as will be below described. rlhe valve C has a stem c. The valve D also has a stem D1 Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 10, 1911.

Serial No. 532,830.

which is connected thereto by a screw Z and set nut (Z1. rlhe stem D1 of thc valve D has a chamber (Z2 in its forward end which is perforated as at cl3, the stem being of somewhat less diameter than the passage in the tubular extension B2 to allow the tree passage of water or steam through the tubular extension and into the water gage a3 when the valves are open.

The diameter of the front end of the chamber (Z2 is contracted somewhat and is threaded as at d* about its interior. Its threads coperate with the threads o1 on the enlarged rear end of the valve C. By means of these threads the enlarged end of the valve C may be screwed into the chamber (Z2 as shown in the drawings so that when in place the valve C may have a movement in relation to the valve D and its stem.

The rear end of the valve D has a flange D2 which is perforated to receive bolts D3 which pass through it from the flange b3 of the tubular extension B2 of the coupling B. By means of nuts D4 on the ends of these bolts the rearward travel of the valve D is controlled.

The casting A carries a threaded neck A2 as is usual in devices of this character and within this threaded neck travels the stem A3 operated by the hand wheel A4. It carries a rod a5 sufficiently long to engage the forward surface of the valve C so as to push or lift it oil its seat7 in which case, the valve C engaging the forward end of the valve stem Dl will lift the valve D off its seat. The apparatus is then in its normal working order7 that is to say, there will be then formed a tree passage :tor water from the boiler to the water gage a? and at the same time the water will fill the chamber (Z2 within the valve stem D1. The same operation will take place in the corresponding valve at the other end oit the water and the parts being under balanced pressure the valves in both devices will remain off their sea-ts. The hand wheels A4 in both devices are then turned to withdraw the stems a5 from engagement with the valves C and the valves will remain open until by the breaking of the water gage or by reason of any other leakage the balance is disturbed. The rush of water under these circumstances will close the valve C, the cylindrical chamber d2 in the valve stem D1 exposing the entire rear surface of the valve C to pressure so that under ordinary circumstances this valve will be closed instantly. But should the valve not close through any accident or the deposit of any sediment on its seat, the valve D being subjected to the same unbalanced pressure at its rear will close instantly, in its forward movement perhaps forcing the valve C to its seat.

`So 'far as I know, this is the first valve apparatus in which as an additional precaution a second valve is used reinforcing or requiring the operation of the first and it will be evident to those skilled in the art that this broad idea may be embodied in other ways than that shown. l therefore do not mean to limit myself to this exact construction, nor do I mean to limit my invention necessarily to use with water gages as it may be applied to other uses.

The end as of the stem A3 is preferably enlarged to act as a stop to engage the opposing wall of the chamber a when the valve C is to be lifted off its seat and so prevent the person adjusting the valve C from advancing the rod a5 so far through the valve seat as to injure the rod or the valves.

For convenience the terms rear and front and words of similar import, are employed to designate, respectively, positions or directions toward and away from the interior of the boiler or other source of fluid pressure with which the device is used.

What I claim as my invention is:

l. An automatic safety valve device comprising two freely moving` valves each having a seat, said valves being located one in the rear of the other, and means connecting said valves permitting a free, limited movement thereof in both directions with relation to each other, as set forth.

2. An automatic safety valve comprising two valve seats located in the same axial line and two freely moving valves each having a limited movement with relation to the other and each adapted to close on its own seat independently of the other, means for opening one of said valves, and means for causing said last-named valve to open the other of said valves.

3. In an automatic valve mechanism, a front valve seat, a rear valve seat and two valves, the rear valve having a stem projecting forwardly and having` a chamber in its forward end, the front valve having a stem projecting rearwardly into said chamber, and means whereby the stem of said front valve is retained within said chamber but is allowed to move with relation thereto.

4L. In an automatic safety valve mechanism, two valves, one having a stem projecting forwardly and having a chamber in its forward end, the walls of said chamber being perforated, the other of said valves hav-A ing a stem projecting rearwardly within said chamber whereby fluid pressure to close said forward valve will be applied to an aiea as great as the entire rear surface of said valve.

5. In a safety valve mechanism, two valves in line, the rear valve having a stem projecting forwardly, said stem having a chamber in its front end the walls of which are contracted and threaded near its front, the forward of said valves having a stem projecting rearwardly and carrying a threaded enlargement at .its rear end adapted to be screwed through the threaded end of the rear valve stem, whereby said enlargement may pass into the chamber in the rear stem and thereafter have a limited motion withy relation thereto.

In an automatic safety valve mechanism, two valves in line, the forward valve having a limited movement with relation to the rear valve, and rear valve having a limited movement with relation to the forward valve, and means for adjusting the extent of movement of the two valves with relation to each other.

7. ln an automatic safety valve mechanism, two valves in line capable of limited movement with relation to each other, and means for adjusting the extent of said movement, and means for adjusting the extent of movement of the rear valve as set forth.

S, In an automatic safety valve mechanism a coupling provided with a valve seat and a tubular extension surrounding said seat and carrying a second valve seat at its rearward end, in combination with freely moving valves adapted independently to close against said seats and having a limited movement with relation to each other, as described.

9. ln an automatic safety valve of the kind described, a coupling provided with a valve seat and a tubular extension surrounding said seat and carrying a second valve seat at its rearward end, freely moving valves for closing said valve seats and means adapted to engage the forward valve to open it and cause it to engage and open the rearward valve as set forth.

VILLIAM H. BRAY. Tit nesses M. E. FLAI-IERTY, GEORGE LANe'roN. 

